The Best Margarita Mix You Can Buy, Whether You Like ’Em Spicy, Frozen or Fruity
From frosé to White Claw slushies, it’s no secret that summer’s signature cocktail changes from year to year. But one libation stands the test of time: the margarita. While making one from scratch is a total cinch, we can’t overlook the convenience of bottled margarita mix. Whether you’re pressed for time, shaking up drinks for a crowd or feeling plain lazy, just-add-tequila mixers can really save the day. But they aren’t all created equal—so, we set out to find the best margarita mix on the market.
The perfect margarita is 1) citrusy, 2) balanced without being too sweet and 3) mind-blowingly refreshing, thanks to a mix of tequila, triple sec, lime juice and often, a bit of agave, sugar or simple syrup. We rated each mix’s flavor with those essential checkboxes in mind, as well as their ingredients, cost and versatility. Read on for our favorites.
RELATED: How to Make a Homemade Margarita Like a Total Pro
Our Favorite Margarita Mixes, At a Glance:
Best Overall: Mary’s Mixers Margarita Mix
Best Classic Margarita Mix: Hella Cocktail Co. Classic Margarita Premium Mixer
Best Spicy Margarita Mix: Owl’s Brew Wicked Margarita Craft Mixer
Best Low-Calorie Margarita Mix: Ficks Premium Margarita Mix
Best Organic Margarita Mix: Agalima Organic Authentic Margarita Mix
Best Value: Mr & Mrs T Original Margarita Mix
Best for Frozen Margaritas: Kelvin Slush Co. Organic Margarita Mix
Best Fruity Margarita Mix: Zing Zang Mango Margarita Mix
Best Ready-to-Serve Margarita: DRNXMYTH Classic Margarita
1. Mary’s Mixers Mary’s Margarita Mix
Best overall
Value: 19/20
Quality: 20/20
Functionality: 20/20
Ingredients: 20/20
Taste: 19/20
TOTAL: 98/100
It’s delicious. It’s authentic. It’s unlike any margarita mix you’ve ever tried. Serve it on the rocks, serve it frozen—Mary’s Margarita Mix refuses to quit. Consisting of 78 percent juice, this dreamy elixir calls on four different fruit juice concentrates to create a one-of-a-kind mélange of citrus splendor. “Lime for a base, naturally, key lime for floral notes, tangerine to curb the tartness of the lime and lastly, calamansi for pucker,” explains founder Greg Dorros. (Calamansi is a sour citrus fruit that’s commonly found in the Philippines—where Dorros grew up—as well as in other parts of Southeast Asia.)
The best way we can describe this mix is Margarita 2.0: it honors the O.G. while also reinventing (and dare we say surpassing) its flavor altogether in a subtle, nearly inexplicable way. The mixer is free of artificial ingredients and preservatives, plus can be used with tequila, vodka, rum, mezcal and even Champagne (we’d even try it with whiskey, since it’s essentially a next-level sour mix). If we really force ourselves to find a downside, its perhaps a bit pricier than some other mixers, at about $1.63 per serving. But believe us when we say it’s worth every darn penny.
Pros:
Quality ingredients
Uniquely delicious flavor
Less added sugar than other margarita mixers
Can be used with multiple spirits and for frozen margaritas
Cons:
Higher price than some other brands
Honorable mentions: Powell & Mahoney Classic Margarita Mixer ($6), Taffer’s Mixologist Margarita Mix ($30/three-pack)
2. Hella Cocktail Co. Classic Margarita Premium Mixer
Best classic margarita mix
Value: 18/20
Quality: 19/20
Functionality: 17/20
Ingredients: 18/20
Taste: 19/20
TOTAL: 91/100
If you trim the fat, all you want in a margarita is the bright flavor of punchy, tart lime juice, slightly softened by just the right amount of sweetness. Hella checks all the boxes with its simple, no-frills mixer. It’s made with cane sugar, lime juice concentrate and sea salt, so prepare yourself for a zap of sour, salty bliss in every sip. Despite the additions of citric acid and “lime flavor,” it tastes impressively close to a margarita we’d make at home ourselves.
Pros:
Authentic lime taste; great balance of sour and bitter
Non-GMO verified
Cons:
Might be almost too sour for some
Honorable mentions: WithCo Cocktails Agave Margarita Cocktail Mixer ($22), Stonewall Kitchen Margarita Mixer ($9)
3. Owl’s Brew Wicked Margarita Craft Mixer
Best spicy margarita mix
Value: 17/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ingredients: 20/20
Taste: 18/20
TOTAL: 91/100
Owl’s Brew is a woman-owned business founded by two tea experts, so it’s no surprise that their cocktail mixers are made with real brewed tea and botanicals. We were seriously impressed by their Wicked Margarita mixer, a blend of organic green tea, lemon and lime juice concentrates, cane sugar and fresh habanero juice. It packs a substantial punch of peppery heat and has a juicy, citrusy backbone. It’s also designed to pair with vodka, mezcal and plain ol’ seltzer, so there are endless ways to utilize it.
Pros:
No fake flavors or ingredients
Lower sugar and calorie content compared to some other brands (35 calories and 8g sugar per two-ounce serving)
Complements a variety of spirits
Cons:
Could be more lime-y
Honorable Mentions: Cocktail Crate Sriracha Margarita Mixer ($26/three-pack), Powell & Mahoney Jalape?o Margarita Mixer ($9)
4. Ficks Premium Margarita Mix
Best low-calorie margarita mix
Value: 19/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ingredients: 19/20
Taste: 17/20
TOTAL: 91/100
Cocktail mixers are often full of sugar, so it’s easy to rack up the calories with just a couple of drinks. Luckily, there are some mixes out there that taste on point despite their lower calorie and sugar content. Case in point: Ficks Premium Margarita Mix. At only 35 calories per three-ounce serving, one cocktail made with 1? ounces of tequila clocks in at about 135 calories. Ficks sweetens its mix with both sugar and sugar substitutes: Think real lime juice, agave syrup, cane sugar, lemon juice and stevia extract. Its citrus-forward flavor really lets the tequila shine. There are definitely better-for-you mixers out there with less sugar, but we think this low-cal alternative delivers the best of both worlds.
Pros:
Lower in calories and sugar without sacrificing taste
Simple ingredients and classic flavor
Cons:
Higher sugar content than other skinny mixes
Honorable mentions: Taffer’s Mixologist Skinny ’Rita Mix ($30/three-pack), Powell & Mahoney Craft Cocktail Mixers Skinny Margarita ($13)
5. Agalima Organic Authentic Margarita Mix
Best organic margarita mix
Value: 18/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 17/20
Ingredients: 20/20
Taste: 18/20
TOTAL: 91/100
So many margarita mixes on the market are made with freaky ingredients instead of real lime juice. One made with high-quality ingredients guarantees that your cheater’s margaritas will actually taste like…well, margaritas. Agalima’s label claims that the mix is modeled after real-deal margs, and the ingredients deliver. We’re talking organic agave syrup made from Jalisco-grown blue agave, organic lime juice, organic cane sugar and a dash of sea salt. It’s super citrusy and sour with a mildly bitter aftertaste that echoes the fresh-squeezed flavor of lime juice and zest.
Pros:
Organic, premium ingredients; higher juice content than some other brands
Authentic lime flavor
Cons:
High sugar content
Pronounced bitter aftertaste
Honorable Mention: Stirrings Simple Organic Margarita Mix ($8), Kelvin Slush Co. Organic Margarita Mix ($31)
6. Mr & Mrs T Original Margarita Mix
Best value
Value: 20/20
Quality: 16/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ingredients: 16/20
Taste: 17/20
TOTAL: 87/100
It may not be the most authentic blend of ingredients, but it sure is one hell of a bargain. If you buy a six-pack of Mr & Mrs T’s original margarita mix, it’ll only cost you about 7 cents an ounce. Even though it contains no real lime juice (instead, citric acid gives it its tart flavor), a value brand like this can come in handy when you’re making margaritas in bulk, especially frozen ones. And TBH, it’s nowhere near as unpleasant as some neon green mixers you might’ve tried in the past. In fact, it has a solid balance of sour and sweet and is super refreshing.
Pros:
Most affordable pick on our list
Tastes better than other value brands
Cons:
Doesn’t contain lime juice
Contains artificial ingredients and sulfites
Honorable mentions: Master of Mixes Margarita Mix ($34/three-pack), Zing Zang Margarita Mix ($25/two-pack)
7. Kelvin Slush Co. Organic Margarita Mix
Best for frozen margaritas
Value: 18/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ingredients: 18/20
Taste: 18/20
TOTAL: 90/100
Frozen cocktails are an animal all their own, and Kelvin Slush Co. has them all figured out. This mix is specially designed to be blended or put through a slush machine, so it’s thicker and requires dilution (hence the first ingredient on the label, organic cane sugar). The mixer is sweetened with both agave nectar and sugar, which balance the acidity of the organic lime juice concentrate and citric acid. The agave makes it taste more authentic overall, but the mix’s lime flavor is what sold us—it seriously rivals fresh-squeezed citrus. The mix is also free of artificial colors and corn syrup.
Pros:
Value size makes it great for big-batch drinks
Organic ingredients and GMO-free
Beautiful lime scent and flavor
Cons:
Requires a bit more work than just adding tequila
High sugar content
Can’t be used as easily for margaritas on the rocks
Honorable Mentions: Master of Mixes Handcrafted Margarita Mixer ($5.50), Stirrings Organic Margarita Mixer ($8)
8. Zing Zang Mango Margarita Mix
Best fruity margarita mix
Value: 19/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 18/20
Ingredients: 18/20
Taste: 19/20
TOTAL: 92/100
We’re suckers for a fruity margarita that leans sweet instead of sour. Strawberry, peach, guava—we’re not picky. But making one of these at home usually involves a lot of fruit and work, so it never hurts to have a delicious cheat in your back pocket. Behold: Zing Zang’s brand-new mango iteration. It’s a tropical blend of lime juice, key lime juice and mango purée concentrates, cane sugar, blue agave nectar, salt and natural flavors. It’s sweet, juicy and mango-forward at first, but finishes on a citrusy high note. It’ll be available for purchase online at Walmart soon; keep an eye out for it at your local store starting in May.
Pros:
All-natural ingredients
No high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or artificial dyes
Cons:
High sugar content
Could be more citrusy
Honorable mentions: Taffer’s Mixologist Strawberry Margarita Mix ($30/three-pack), Owl’s Brew Watermelon Margarita ($11)
9. DRNXMYTH Classic Margarita
Best ready-to-serve margarita
Value: 18/20
Quality: 18/20
Functionality: 20/20
Ingredients: 19/20
Taste: 19/20
TOTAL: 94/100
We know what you’re thinking: There’s no way a premade cocktail can come close to the real thing. Let DRNXMYTH prove you wrong in the tastiest way possible. This ready-to-drink libation is made with blanco tequila, house-made orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, organic agave syrup and salt drops (aka salt that’s diluted into the water, so you get just the right amount in every sip). It’s equal parts sour and sweet with boozy warmth at the end (thanks, tequila), and comes in a super cool bottle that’s split into two chambers: one with alcohol, one without. Once you twist and shake, all the ingredients are mixed and ready to drink. Down the hatch, amigas.
Pros:
Requires no extra ingredients or work
Portable and easy to store
Cons:
Pricier than making a margarita from scratch
Honorable Mentions: On the Rocks Margarita ($10), Cutwater Tequila Lime Margarita ($14/four-pack)
The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.
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